diff --git a/chitchat/src/lib.rs b/chitchat/src/lib.rs
index 01513d0..7a8a60b 100644
--- a/chitchat/src/lib.rs
+++ b/chitchat/src/lib.rs
@@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ impl Chitchat {
     fn report_heartbeats(&mut self, delta: &Delta) {
         for (chitchat_id, node_delta) in &delta.node_deltas {
             if let Some(node_state) = self.cluster_state.node_states.get(chitchat_id) {
-                if node_state.heartbeat < node_delta.heartbeat
-                    || node_state.max_version < node_delta.max_version
+                if node_state.heartbeat() < node_delta.heartbeat
+                    || node_state.max_version() < node_delta.max_version
                 {
                     self.failure_detector.report_heartbeat(chitchat_id);
                 }
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ impl Chitchat {
                 let node_state = self
                     .node_state(chitchat_id)
                     .expect("Node state should exist.");
-                (chitchat_id.clone(), node_state.max_version)
+                (chitchat_id.clone(), node_state.max_version())
             })
             .collect::<HashMap<_, _>>();
 
@@ -307,9 +307,9 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     fn assert_cluster_state_eq(lhs: &NodeState, rhs: &NodeState) {
-        assert_eq!(lhs.key_values.len(), rhs.key_values.len());
-        for (key, value) in &lhs.key_values {
-            assert_eq!(rhs.key_values.get(key), Some(value));
+        assert_eq!(lhs.num_key_values(), rhs.num_key_values());
+        for (key, value) in lhs.key_values() {
+            assert_eq!(rhs.get_versioned(key), Some(value));
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/chitchat/src/state.rs b/chitchat/src/state.rs
index c0c5ffd..0d0420c 100644
--- a/chitchat/src/state.rs
+++ b/chitchat/src/state.rs
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ use crate::{ChitchatId, Heartbeat, MaxVersion, Version, VersionedValue};
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct NodeState {
-    pub(crate) heartbeat: Heartbeat,
-    pub(crate) key_values: BTreeMap<String, VersionedValue>,
-    pub(crate) max_version: MaxVersion,
+    heartbeat: Heartbeat,
+    key_values: BTreeMap<String, VersionedValue>,
+    max_version: MaxVersion,
     #[serde(skip)]
     #[serde(default = "Instant::now")]
     last_heartbeat: Instant,
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ impl Default for NodeState {
 
 impl NodeState {
     /// Returns the node's last heartbeat value.
-    pub fn hearbeat(&self) -> Heartbeat {
+    pub fn heartbeat(&self) -> Heartbeat {
         self.heartbeat
     }
 
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@ impl NodeState {
     /// Removes the keys marked for deletion such that `tombstone + grace_period > heartbeat`.
     fn gc_keys_marked_for_deletion(&mut self, grace_period: u64) {
         let heartbeat = self.heartbeat.0;
-
         self.key_values
             .retain(|_, versioned_value: &mut VersionedValue| {
                 versioned_value
@@ -154,17 +153,33 @@ impl NodeState {
             .filter(move |(_key, versioned_value)| versioned_value.version > floor_version)
     }
 
+    /// Ignores the key value insert if the version is obsolete.
+    fn set_versioned_value(&mut self, key: String, versioned_value_update: VersionedValue) {
+        self.max_version = versioned_value_update.version.max(self.max_version);
+        match self.key_values.entry(key) {
+            Entry::Occupied(mut occupied) => {
+                let occupied_versioned_value = occupied.get_mut();
+                // The current version is more recent than the newer version.
+                if occupied_versioned_value.version >= versioned_value_update.version {
+                    return;
+                }
+                *occupied_versioned_value = versioned_value_update;
+            }
+            Entry::Vacant(vacant) => {
+                vacant.insert(versioned_value_update);
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
     fn set_with_version(&mut self, key: String, value: String, version: Version) {
-        assert!(version > self.max_version);
-        self.max_version = version;
-        self.key_values.insert(
+        self.set_versioned_value(
             key,
             VersionedValue {
-                version,
                 value,
+                version,
                 tombstone: None,
             },
-        );
+        )
     }
 }
 
@@ -227,22 +242,9 @@ impl ClusterState {
                 node_state.last_heartbeat = Instant::now();
             }
             node_state.max_version = node_state.max_version.max(node_delta.max_version);
-
             for (key, versioned_value) in node_delta.key_values {
-                let entry = node_state.key_values.entry(key);
-                match entry {
-                    Entry::Occupied(mut occupied_entry) => {
-                        let local_versioned_value = occupied_entry.get_mut();
-                        // Only update the value if the new version is higher. It is possible that
-                        // we have already received a fresher version from another node.
-                        if local_versioned_value.version < versioned_value.version {
-                            *local_versioned_value = versioned_value;
-                        }
-                    }
-                    Entry::Vacant(vacant_entry) => {
-                        vacant_entry.insert(versioned_value);
-                    }
-                }
+                node_state.max_version = node_state.max_version.max(versioned_value.version);
+                node_state.set_versioned_value(key, versioned_value);
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs b/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs
index dccd7ab..9329f59 100644
--- a/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs
+++ b/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ impl Simulator {
     }
 
     pub async fn execute(&mut self, operations: Vec<Operation>) {
-        for operation in operations.into_iter() {
-            debug!("Execute operation {operation:?}");
+        for operation in operations {
+            info!("Execute operation {operation:?}");
             match operation {
                 Operation::AddNode {
                     chitchat_id,
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ impl Simulator {
         let chitchat = self.node_handles.get(&chitchat_id).unwrap().chitchat();
         let mut chitchat_guard = chitchat.lock().await;
         chitchat_guard.self_node_state().mark_for_deletion(&key);
-        let hearbeat = chitchat_guard.self_node_state().hearbeat();
+        let hearbeat = chitchat_guard.self_node_state().heartbeat();
         debug!(node_id=%chitchat_id.node_id, key=%key, hearbeat=?hearbeat, "Marked key for deletion.");
     }